Divided last



Oct. 23, 1928.

G. M. RAY

DIVIDED LAST Filed Nov. 12, 1926 Patented @et Z3, 11928. i i'. A

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R-AYQOFAVNEVdTON SENTER, MASSACHUSETTS, Y y i n nrvinnn Leer. i i Y Application filed November 12J rlfeal No 148.,.057.

This invention relates to divided lasts,used one piece last.V Also to provide a form of in the manufacture oil shoes for the purpose divided last Which may be manufactured at l ot' reducing' the strain on the upper when asinallor expense than'the type of divided the last is removed from theshoe. Thetype lastin generaluse. l l i y i y oi divided last which is at present most geni l accomplish these obiectsby providino a 60f orally used has its sections` connected by a ormf of last'in ivliichthe heel' portionbis y hinge at its middle portion and a distance' separated from the forepart on a plane ivhich trom its bottom, and, `with this type 4ot last, extends obliquely Lfrom the last bottom adj ao as the sections are swung` relatively ir'omnon cont the front end of the heel seat to points inahthe distance i'rom the portionroi the baclr adjacentA the top or' the last at its rear end, 65,V end which projects tothe greatest extent to Y and entirely in the rear ot the jack ipost i the toe end, or to the trontportion of. the receiving aperture, which may` be'located in instep. is., at lirst, somewhat increased before its usual position, and by providing` means it is shortened by the swinging movement,` whereby said sections may be slidably conso that an additional strain is placed on the neeted, and moved into solid abutment. so4 70 upper. In lasting loiv out shoes;` suchlas that the heel section Will seat firmlv on'the y pumps or slippers, it is desirable that the torepart section, Whichivill be iiriiily supuppcrs be drawn as tightly as possible about ported `on the jack, Whenv the sections are in the Yiront or instep portion, i. e. between this iioln'ial relation, together with means for portion and the back so that when shoe automatically locking said sections against 75` has been lasted as tightly as possible7 on a return movement ivhen they are moved intoV hinged last oi the type referred to, it is likely said relation. n to be dan'iagedby the additional stretching For a more complete disclosure of my inu'hich is placed on the upper when it is rcvention',reference `is made to the following' moved from the last. i speCiCation, in connection with the accom 80 Another vital objection to the ordinary panying` drawing, in Whiclu hinged last is that theheel section ymust be Fig'. l isa side elevation of a last embodyingy supported on the jack on which the last is my` invention. placed while variousl operationsV are being 2 is al middle longitudinal section of` performed, i. hieh must beperformed on the the heel portion thereoion a somewhat larger 55 shoe While on the last. In consequence, convscalel v K' siderable strain is.y at times, placed on the Figs. 3 andlare,respectively.end views of hinge connecting' the sections, When pressure the torepart and heel part sections thereof. is applied to the bottom oi thejiorepart-.rei Fig. 5, is a sectional view at line 54-5 of fluently causing' damage thereto. Various `Fig- 2. f "v other torina oif divided lastsvhave been pro- Figs. G and 7 t are' detail sectional views duce in an attempt to avoid ,the diiiioulty showing' theloclring devices in unlocked posifirst referred to, butso tiaras I am aware/ tion and A A y K n all instances when constructions have been Fig. Sis a side elevation showing a somepreduced which are designed to prevent an `whatmodified form of the invention. 95 initial strain on the upper, when unlastinp?" As y'shown in the drawing a last of common th y have been open to other, and more vital forni vis divided, into a 'orepart sectionr (L and oluections3 such as durability kand failure/to a heel partsection Z), by a ilatplane of sepa-1 effectively the pressure Which must beA ration ,ivhich extends obliquely, entirely in the applied to the bottom 'thereof during` the rear ofthe ack post receiving recess, from a' 100 operations which precede the removal oi the transverse lino at rthe last bottom, which is shoefirom the last. l g j I f y preferably.located at7 adpicentA` the rear The objects oi my invention are to provide end oi? the shank portion of the last, to points a form ot dividedv last which will enable thev near the topof the lastand near its rear'end, shoe to be readily removed therefrom ivith- 'lio rruine oppositely disposed corresponding 105 out in any degreeincreaffng the strain onthe 'tzf-.cesfil andil. e From this pointtheplane oi' upper at any time, and which ivillbe as dura- ,f-ieparation is iineferably extended in approxi-y blo` capable oi resisting the strain, rto mateparallelism with the bottom off the heel.A which it must besubjected during` the manuportion `ogt' thelast`v thereby formingy corre-4 i taoturing operations, as it it Were asolidor siiionding'oliiposite 'faces o2 and be, so thatibo 1'10 llir present instance, the horizontal yplane of sepa-ration, forming thefaces a2, b2 is located f at or abovethis level, as indicated by the'` forepart section has a longitudinal extending projecting portion i2-which extends Ato the rear end'of the last.

s As the sections are separated by a sawing operation, the material removed between the 'sections is replaced, the particular means shown for replacing this material between the rear end portion 'a3 and the top of section bbeing a thin plate a3 which is secured tothe surface a2 of saidend portion, and may, for

all purposes be consideredas an integral part 'l thereof. lLasts, as ordinarily constructed, extend above the levelv of the edge of the upper at the heel, when a pump or slipper' of common type is made thereon, and, in the dotted line in Fig; l. n Meansfor slidably connecting the sections .are provided, which comprise al Vflat'metal" plate c, secured by screws, or other suitable means, to the face al of the forepart section, v

saidv plate-'having a slot c'lforined .in 'its middle portion, which extends from its edge next the last bottom to a point atsome dis` tance from the face a2, the sides of said slot being arranged toextend convergently-froin the'end of the plate at thelast bottom' and being yunder-cut tofforin, with the last, a dovel tail groove, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The

corresponding face b1 of the heel section has a metal plate Z secured thereto, tonfo-rin a s tongue having under-cut sides, which extendv convergently from the last bottom, as shown in Fig. 4, and corresponds to an'd'is adapted and arranged to lit within ythe slot, or groove G1, so that, when the narrowerv end/of the plate d is inserted inl the larger end of the groove c1 andthe last sections are slid on', each other, in the direction of the groove, the' tongue formed by'plate CZ will iirst slide in,

. yand then will become wedged in the groove,

the side edges of thetongue being seated against the yside edges `of the groove 01 and the smaller' end of th-etongue being moved into' abutment with the inner end of the groove.y The face b2 will also be `engaged with the face a2, at the Sametime, in which position 'the sections a and t will be held inA normal relation, so that, if the last is placed in inverted positionne-n a jack,v so ythat its post x'will be within the tliimble @of thelast, the section Zifwill have a firinbearing v. onfthe section a at all ypossible .points of cony tact, theportionfofface b1, other than thatk tofwhich plate Zv is attached, A. being held,` throughout its entire area, iniirin .Contact y with the surface of tlieplat'ejc and the entire surface of the plated being held likewise in contactwitb` the surface al, in addition to the surfaces abovey referred to,w hich are also held in contact. l

` s Consequently,wheii pressure is to be applied to the bottom `of the last at anyy point,

thisv pressure will be as effectively and firmly resisted as if the last were solid throughout, for the portion ofthe last which the jack post engages is solid with the forepart section and thelatter firmly supports the heel section. Y

yThe `heel section b is provided with a metal kbottom plate]c which projects over the end of the plate el and meets the adjacent end of a metal bottom plate g on the forepart section a. It is, however, immaterial to the invention whethera bottom plateis employed, or'not. Y'

F or the purpose of automatically locking said sections a and b together when they are slid relativelyi Pinto their normal relation, two independent locking means are preferably provided, althougheither of said means onlyniaybe employed. One of said means comprises a spring actuated pin it, having a rounded outer end, said i pin being vslidably mounted ina metal bushing i fixed within a recess b4 in section b, said pin extending perpendicularly from the face b2 at the meeting line Vof the faces b1, b2. A coiled spring 7c is arranged within said recessl between the bottom thereof and the inner end of pin 7L, which is providedwith alia-nge k1 .at its innerend which `is adapted to engage the inner end of the'bushing z' and limit the outwardv movement of pin it by thespring at a point at which the pin will project a substantial` distance 'beyond the surface 62. The rearendportion a3 of the forepart sec- -tion is provided with an aperture, which extends entirely therethrough and is lined witha metal bushing m, the arrangement being` such that the outer end portion of pin /t ywill be forced into,and will t clo:ely

within the bushing m, when Vthe last sectionsy are 'in normal position, thereby positively engaging the forepart section rand prevent-x ing `opposite moveinent'of theiheel section v dogn is mounted to swing on a pivot 0 within a slot a# formed inthe section a and opening to the face al thereof in perpendiciuy lar relation, said dog being arranged closeto :the face Val and extending approximately.

the a erture. "il coil surinO" -is.arranged 1 l b v o within a recess i5 in section ,ci in position to engage the end .of dog n, directly opposite ythe tooth n1',`so that the spring will act to press thisend" of the dogl outwardly. The

lll)

los

opposite end of the dog extends acrossand I into the inner end of the jack tliiinble hole ci, which opens into the slot at.

Assuiningthat the last sections are separated, and it is desired to restore them to normal, the section b will be placed in such a position t that the smaller end of plate (Z will be disposed within the groove 01, and the sections Will'be Y pressed together, so thatf their adjacent iiat surfaces will be in contact. This action kvvill cause the rounded end of the pin i to be` pressed against the surface of plate c, forcing it inward, and at the same time pressure of thel plate Z on the tooth of dog n will cause the dog to be swung back Within its slot a4. if The section Z) ivi-ll thenbe slid doivn ontl-ie section a until it has been moved into normal position, so that the pin will beforced by its spring into thebushing m. At the saine time, the

vrdog n will be swung outward by its spring p, so that its tooth will enter the aperture Z1 and its square side will engage the inner side of the aperture. "As a result the Sec,- tions will be firmly locked together at two different point-s, each locking device reinforcing the other, and if one should fail to act the other Would be likely to do so.

It is to be noted that the pin h does not,

when the sections are in normal"relation,v

project above thetop surface of the section a. Also the dog n issoarranged, that, when the last is placed on a jack, having its post m of the u-sual length, the end of the post will not engage the end of the Adog which eX- tends into the inner endof thejthimble hole,

as shown in Fig. 2,'so that, during any of the ordinary operations'on the shoe While on the last there is no liability that either locks ing means will be released, so as to permit disconnection of the lastsections. When, however, the shoe is toibe removed from the last, the last will be placed on a special jack having a post y which is slightly longer than4 the other jack posts, sothat its end will en' gage the endof thedog n, `and lswing it so as todisengage its tooth from 4the heel section, as shown inFi'g. 6.A A rod e is also mounted on the special vjackWliichisarranged to enter the bushing m and be pressed against the end of the pin 7i as the last is pressed down on the jack post, forcing it inwarduntil it becomes disengaged from the section a, as shown in Fig. 7'thereby releasing the section Z) from section a and per'- mitting it to slide up thereon. Usually the ten-sionof the upper, When lasted' as tightly as it should be, will be sufficient to move the section b to such an extent that neither lockw ing-device may become reengaged, so that it is then merely necessary .for the operator to grasp the heel of theshoe andy pull it from the forepart section, removing the heel section with the shoe, from Which the heel sectionivill be later removed, and restored to its normal position on tho forepart section.-

Under yordinary conditionsasl previously` explained, the top edge of the upper at the back ofthe shoe does not `extend onto the end portiony a3, but terminates atr the level of the plane of separation a2 b2, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. l, so that the back end of the end portion a3 does not engage the upper or interfere With its ready 'removal and the entire portion ofthe backend of the last which engages the upper moves to- Wardstlie front end thereoiE when released.

If, however, a: high shoe were to be made on the last, the construction may besoins- What modified, as indicated in Fig. S. That is, the oblique plane of separation may be extended directly to the top of the lait, in the rear of thejack post receiving recess, andL forming sections a, Zio, so that the entire rear end of the last Will move upward and towards the forepart lWhen the sections unlocked. I, andrassociated parts,\vould be omitted rand the plate c, corresponding to plate c, Would beextended throughout the plane of separation. In some respects, this construction is not asidesirable as the other, as a horizontal In this instance the-'lockingv pinA support is not provided by the forepart secc tion for the heel sectionfbut in come Vother a respects it ymay be more desirable, baiticu-v larly as is less expensive to construct.

e With theabove described. construction it is possible to make thektop portion of the last as thin asinayv be desired, so that the sides of the footl opening-will be drawnclose ly to the foot ofthe ivearer, and to have the back end rounded out asginuch as may be desired to'receive the heel of the wearer and yet have thetop portion of the upper at the is in the rear of the jack post recess, so that thevforepart section is supported directly on the jack post, an `important source .of damage to divided lasts is eliminated, hinged lasts ofthe ordinary type being frequently broken or damaged byy pressure on the shank and forepart of the l.bottom While supported on a jack-,the construction herein shown being considered as rigid and durable as'i'i" the last rwere of one piece. Y l

The above described construction is also advantageous from a Vimanufacturing standpoint, for the reason that the `Work which inustbe performed on the4 lastiin preparation fortlie application of the connecting means lil) for the sections is's'ubstantially simplified, as Compared with previous `constructions for the saine purpose, for the entire vlast mustfirst be made in one 'solid piece ofwood in the usual manner, and, when it isseparated into sections, this is done by a mere 'saw cut, the width of which is eXactly equal to the thick' ness yof the plate c, soy that, `w'henthe latter' is placed in position, the wood which has been iemovedby the separating operation is #en-I tirely replace-d, the outlineof the platee corresponding to the outline of-the faces left'by the sawlcut. lWhen the cut is not extended thru to the top of the last, the wood removed bythe cut vwhich isinade parallely to theffh'eel seat will be replaced by the flatvpi'ece @30, ask

alreadyv explained. As theftongue'plate Z is means is alone used, I

I'claimz` i. .f I- l. last comprising` separable heel and forep'art sections having oppositely disnosed 4transverse faces of Separation extending ob liquely from the last bottom adj acent ther-ear end ofthe shank portion rearwardly `towards the top and then ho'ri`zontally,"in approXi-.

mate parallelism with the heel portion of the bottom, to the back end ofthe last, and means` niovabl'eto lockl saidsections against sep-f aration when in .normal relation; A

2. A last comprising separable heel' and forepart sections having oppositely disposed transverse faces ofseparation extending ob-`k liquely from thelast bottom adjacent the rear` end of the 'shank portion rearwardly towards the top and `then horizontally, in approxi#` mate parallelism with the heel portion ofthe bottom, to the back end of thek last, said sec-' tions havin-g a` tongue and a corresponding groove arranged for interlocking efn'fra'geiment as the heel section is 'movedonthe-forepart section,with saidV oblique faces'in-con-n tact, from the lbottoni towards the top l thereof and means :movable to lock said sections against opposite movement when`said`horivv in separating the last secured to the face of zontalffaces are engaged. l f 3. "A lastcomprising separable heel 4and forepart sections having oppositely disposed Y transverse faces of separation `extending,r obliquely from the last-bottoni adjacent the rear end of the shank portion'towards the top 'and then horizontally,l Vin appioiriinat-epar# allelism with the heel portion ofthe bottom,`

to the back end ofthe last, one of Asaid sec# tions having an undercut'groove and/the other a. corresponding' tongue arraii'gedfor interlocking engagement as the heel section' is slid on'the forepartsection, withsaid joblique faces in contact, from the bottom' towards the top thereof, and means movable to lock said sections against opposite inovement when said horizontal faces are brought into contact,V s

hA'flast comprising` separable heel and forepart sections having oppositely disposedY transverse faces of sepa-ration. extending obliquelyf from the last'bottoin adjacent the c rear end ofthe shank'portion towards the top f andi then horizontally, in approximate parallelism with the heel portion of the bottomp. tothe back endof the last, one of said sections having an undercutgroove and the other a.

corresponding"tongue arranged for interlocking, engagement as the heel section is slid onthe forepart section, withsaid oblique lfacesn contact, from the bottom towards 4the ytop thereof, a locking pin reciprocally mounted-in said heel Section-in perpendicularr relation to the horizontalfface thereof and springV actuated to engage theforepart sec.`

tionjwhenj said horizontal faces are movedl into contact` and means permittingvv engagement with said pin from the topof the-forepart" section lto disengage the pin therefrom. f

5.' k'A last comprising a forepart section having a jackfpostfreceiving recess opening to its top, aheel section divided therefrom by aftransverse plane of separation which eX- tends obliquely from the lastbottoni' at points adjacent the, rear endfof the shank portion, towards the rear end of the last, and

inthe rear vofsaid recess, means including a tongue :and `groove connection between said* sections toiperinitsai'dvheel section to slide the forepartL section'V and normally actuated to engage ythe heel section as it is moved into` normal relation with the forepart' section, to`

lock it against opposite inovement,"said locking'adevice having means attheiinnerfend ofV saidrecess arranged tobe actuated by the jack post' when inserted in said recess toJdis engage the saine from saidheel section;

nessfcorresponding to the material removed one of said sections and having its-edges lflush with the adjacent side surfaces of the sections, and continuous therewith7 said plate havingfan undercut slottherein extending in a direction from top to lbottom ofthe last and the face of the other section havingan undery cutnietal tongue thereony corresponding` to said slot/'and adapted'to permit the farce por-g tion'of the section about the tongueto be dii; rectly eiigageclwith-the surface of said plater and the'heelsection to be nio-ved slidably on the forepart section into normal relation therewith,1- and 'locking means arranged toi hold said sections against separationr when in:

l l() 6. A `wooden last transversely. divided to' form heel and forepart'sections having traiis l verse facesfof separation extending obliquely from the last bottom, avmetal plate of a thicksaid relation and operable from the top of the last to permit separation thereof.v

7. A wooden last transversely dividedto form heel and forepart sections having transverse faces of separation extending obliquely from the last bottom, a metal fplate of uniform thickness secured tothe face of one of said sections and having its edges flush with the adjacent surfaces of the sections when held in normal relation, said plate having an under cut slot extending from the bottom end thereof towards the top and the face of the other section having a corresponding metal tongue thereon and arranged to be passed into said slot7 to permit the sections to be slidably engaged, and means for locking said sections against relative slidingmovement when in normal relation.

8. A wooden last transversely divided to form heel and forepart sections having parallei faces of separation extending obliquely from the last bottom towards the top and back end, a metal plate of uniform thickness secured to the face of one of said sections,

having its edges flush with the sides of the section, and having an under cut slot open at its bottom end and extending towards the top of the section, the other section having on its face a tongue corresponding to said slot and adapted to be received thereby as the heel section is slidably moved on the forepart section fromthe bottom towards the top there of, said sections having abutting faces arranged to be engaged when the sections are in normal relation, locking means in one of said sections arranged for engagement with the other section when said faces are in abutment, to prevent opposite movementfof the heel section, and means permitting actuation of said locking means from the top of the last to permit said opposite movement.

in testimony whereof7 I have signedmy name to this specication.

GEORGE M. RAY. 

